Conference Photography Review - work in Manchester and London

Published on Wed Jun 18, 2025 by David J Colbran
Last Updated on Wed Jun 18, 2025

Another busy couple of weeks on commission with repeat and regular clients photographing conferences.

Working with repeat clients as a freelancer offers numerous benefits that contribute to long-term success and stability. Repeat commissions provide a reliable source of income, reducing the constant need to search for new projects. These ongoing relationships also foster better communication and understanding with the team, allowing me to deliver my work more efficiently and at a higher quality. This is because I am already familiar with the client's expectations, brand, and workflow.

Additionally, this repeat business sends a message to potential new clients of trust, consistency, quality and reliability. And as such it offers more significant opportunities and referrals over time.

So, on to the case-studies

Manchester conference photography

First up was as a Manchester conference photographer at the Manchester Central Convention Complex where I've worked many times before for the British Cardiovascular Society. It proved to be a busy 3 days, including one evening where there was a drinks reception and a second evening, even later, covering the President's Dinner and associated after meal speeches and awards - a 15-hour day that one ! I am based in Liverpool but working in Manchester is easy for me (ok accidents on the M62 can be a tad stressful) and I have a good knowledge of a lot of the venues across the city now. And good feedback, with dates pencilled in for next year.

Also, it was great to work with the amazing video team at jamshakeshaft.video again !

London conference photography

Next up was conference photography in London for the European Healthcare Design event. This time it was at a new venue to me, the Royal College of Physicians, right beside Regents Park in central London. While it was a little further for me to travel and involved staying over, that was fine and I'm happy in the evenings to crack on with image edits and get some of that work done in the hotel room.

It was a large event with 5 simultaneous presentation streams, so the organisers employed 2 photographers for full coverage of all speakers. So, this meant a little more planning, co-ordinating who was doing what and ensuring both got the vital breakout spaces covered. I really enjoyed working with another professional photographer, we exchanged a few stories, had that all important technical camera gear chat and more importantly got the job successfully done. Happy clients, great feedback on the images and another series of dates in the diary for future conference work later in the year!

For both conferences my brief included taking photos of keynote speakers, other presentations, workshops, registration desks, exhibition stands, and shots of delegates interacting at various stages throughout the event. Like many organisations clients wanted images of people enjoying themselves, interacting with the event and networking.

If you are an event planner and doing some research and ended up here - check my Top 6 Tips On Writing a Killer Brief For Photographers and get the best ROI from your creatives.

And for another conference photographers case-study check my work and experiences with the Times Higher Education Awards - via the link. Another repeat client - I join them again November time in Edinburgh.

On to the images ...

WOW - thanks for scrolling all the way down. If you are planning an event, conference or awards ceremony, please message me for more practical insights into event photography - I have 20 years' experience. I am happy to chat, even if you have someone already sorted for the photography. Of course, I can recommend some excellent colleagues both for the photos and the video work.

Check my conference and event photography portfolio or read another post for 3 reasons why you should hire me as your professional conference photographer for your next high-profile event.

Author: David J Colbran